Tag Archives: Basketball Coaching

Coaching is a small town provides a number of challenges for building and sustaining a program (Photo Source: Bobby P.)

Basketball Coaching does not always happen within a supportive environment like in an established program. In the corners of many rural or regional areas clubs, schools or associations are started or established by individuals, not boards, or committees. In these types of situations where there is a “bare bones” approach to what can be offered, basketball coaching expertise and knowledge at its simplest is of the highest priority. So how can a coach gain support and continue to develop their knowledge as well as confidence in these types of situations?”

There a number of different support mechanisms that can be employed to help when basketball coaching. It often just requires a little more time and effort to find the support many coaches often require to continue along their coaching journey.

Internet

It is well documented on the Functional Basketball Coaching website, as well as gaining evidence from a quick internet search, that there is plenty of information to be found on the world wide web. Some of this information will be written, some will be in audio, and other resources will be audio visual. Depending on the coach, then one of the different mediums will be easier to utilise then the others.

For coaches who cannot gain access to meeting with other basketball coaches face to face, then using a mixture of these mediums will be the best strategy to understanding the correct technique or tactical breakdowns needed for individual development and game play.

Videoing Sessions

One of the more easily used strategies when basketball coaching in isolation of other coaches is to simply video tape training sessions and games. These videos can be sent to other coaches, coaches associations, or regulatory bodies who will then (in most cases) provide some critical feedback.

Many regulatory bodies while not always having resources to support everyone face to face by putting people into the field, However they can often mobilise resources to provide feedback through the use of video.

Using the internet to send audio visual files is the easiest way to transfer the information. All modern video cameras make this a very easy process of recording, downloading and then attaching to e-mail or using cloud services to saves files where they can be easily accessed.

Developing a Local General Coaching Network

Coaching is a universal skill and can be transferred from one sporting context to another. While the technical and tactical knowledge is specific to a sport, the art of coaching is not. A coach with sound communication skills can utilise these skills in any number of similar situations that are different to just being on the court.

Asking coaches from other sports to come, view a training session, and then provide feedback can be a highly valuable way of gaining feedback that is not sports specific, but can still be very useful for everyday coaching.

Online Courses

With the development of the internet, there is now wealth of knowledge available through online courses. The courses are often provided by governing bodies and cover sports specific topics as well as general principles of coaching. Other organisations such as commercial entities will also provide these services, but if possible working with the state sporting organisation is the best options as these courses are specifically designed to meet the sporting philosophy of the area.

In remote areas, coaching can be a challenge. Problems with facilities, recruiting athletes and having the right equipment can be a real challenging. Coaching however, remains often an ongoing issue, as it is a harder, more draw out process when working by yourself and trying to develop a range of skills specific to sport.

The great thing about basketball coaching is that you have the ability to be a part of the helping others. Coaching veterans is not different to coaching juniors in this point… (Photo Source: Anna)

Basketball Coaching can involve such as wide and diverse demographic that sometimes the needs of individuals, like veterans, can be lost in the overall strategy of the sport. Basketball because of its semi-contact and dual gender nature is an example of a sport that can be played by an individual even when they would have to leave other collision-based sports behind. Visit a Masters Games and see that basketball even at the highest age brackets, is alive and well.

While the sport and rules remain the same the act of basketball coaching can be something very different and there are some specific differences between coaching junior athletes to coaching veterans of the hardwood.

Working with Adults

When basketball coaching juniors there is a certain style of coaching that can develop where training sessions are driven by the coach and directives come only from this opinion. This however is different when undertaking basketball coaching with veterans. Adults especially ones with a long affiliation with the sport will have ideas and experience very valid to many of the situations commonly found in team sports. Coaching in these situations needs to be more collaborative, with a coaches role while still one of advice, but coming from more of a facilitator perspective then being a keeper of the knowledge.

Asking for input and feedback will help when basketball coaching in determining what is working, what is effective and are the players understanding the message being sent.

Pre Existing Medical Conditions

One of the first discussions a basketball coach should have with their players (not matter the age) before commencing coaching is to ask of any pre-existing medical conditions. Some conditions will be obvious, as a coach you will be able to see the knee braces, tape, and see players applying the liniment to previously injured areas. Prior to the start of a training session, maybe speak the players individually about these injuries and just see their nature and how the individual manages them.

Because of the nature of playing a team sport, people might feel as though they are letting down the team if they cannot do certain activities. Therefore, it is best to also address this issue during the discussion about medical conditions. Players especially early on and when the coach is still unfamiliar with each individual, might need special consideration for things such as rest or limitations in certain activities.

It is not usual for veterans of basketball once moving out of regular junior competitions to take part in sport sporadically. When it is time for basketball coaching to start help players to ease into strenuous activity by ensuring sessions are planned and cover a full range of technical and tactical aspects. Just allowing a team to play five on five is not the ideal…

Warm-up and Cool Down

Every player usually finds the tedious side of sport such as preparing their bodies for activity, one of the more unfavourable aspects of training. Ensure though that a full warm-up and cool-down is put in place when implementing a training session the same as when developing a session for any other age group.

Stretching, both dynamic and static have a place within a training session and both should be utilised to help improve the body’s ability to deal with intense activity.

Dehydration

Dehydration should always be of concern when basketball coaching. Not all players (including juniors) always prepare they bodies the best for training sessions, games or tournaments by fuelling themselves in the lead up to events appropriately. Provide advice and information to players on what types of fluids and foods help best in dealing with activity such as basketball.

Ensure when coaching veterans to allow for breaks during practice so there is an opportunity to take fluids on board and also rest momentarily.

Cumulative effect of Fatigue

As players reach the age brackets considered veterans they will start to reduce in ability to recover as fast when exposed to successive fatiguing experiences. This effect is mostly commonly seen in tournament play where teams have to play multiple games each day or over consecutive days. When basketball coaching in these situations with veterans ensure as much as possible that recovery becomes a focus of team talks. Including activities within the schedule like team walks to start each day to help bodies loosen up and stretching sessions can really help.

If there is an injury, ensure the appropriate medical advice is sought and assistance found. Players at all age groups occasionally need a coach to take the lead on these matters.

Coaching veteran players is different to coaching junior teams, and there is differences between coaching in a different level of competition to another. All of these differences though when basketball coaching often come back to the type of relationship developed between a coach and an athlete. Taking the time to learn about each individual and developing a repour will help in overcoming many issues to do more so with personalities then any real challenges in the sport.

At some stage, every coach involved in basketball has though how do I find out about Basketball Coaching Jobs. As many coaches tend to volunteer, the obvious searches happen around local clubs, schools, and colleges. After some time however a coach begins to think about the possibilities of doing this fulltime and in a paid capacity. This is of course the challenge for any person looking for basketball coaching jobs is to find the right source of information.

Thinking about ho you already know who can assist in finding basketball coaching jobs is probably one of the best strategies available to many people (Photo Source: Brian Rosner).

Think About Your Contacts

There is no doubt that the easiest way to find meaningful paid basketball coaching jobs is to think about your own connections. Think about where you attended school (primary or secondary), what college you attended and the people you have worked with inside and outside of the sport. Sometimes a chance encounter is all that it takes to be informed about a possible opportunity or vacancy.

Remember while basketball is a global sport there is always an ebb and flow of people in and out of the sport as well as funding fluctuations. All of these factors mean positions come and go as well as being created and happening quite quickly. So your contacts can be used as a way of staying abreast of future opportunities as much as providing help right now

Volunteer, Work Placements and Internships

There is no doubting it that sport across the globe is built firmly on the backs of countless volunteers. Even in the top-flight competitions around the world there a volunteers filling very important roles across all levels of administration, management and sports coaching. Some of this opportunities are just about showing you have currency within the industry, but others are pre cursors to the creation of fulltime positions.

At the very least undertaking one of these openings you will expose yourself to people who have the ability to hire (and fire) people within the industry that a coach wants to work and that is simply not the case in many other situations.

Just remember that the first opportunity might not always be in coaching. However, it could be the opportunity that brings to one-step closer to that final goal.

Look at Job Boards

Because of the nature of professional sport there are some basketball coaching jobs that will be advertised. What percentage of overall positions are advertised though would probably be overstated. The hidden job market is any in any industry is very significant. A large number of positions go unadvertised and are just offered to know people to the organisation or program. For this reason the previous strategy of undertaking volunteering, work placement or an internship when looking for basketball coaching jobs is so effective. With this said though a large number of job boards can be found with a simple key word search in a coaches favourite search engine.

Just remember job boards are specific to every country. One website which maybe popular in one country might not be used at all in another. Therefore, it is best to do the research to find the right roles for you.

The first job in the sport of basketball should not be an indication of what the last will be. Every role will provide experience, knowledge or skills so when it comes to moving onto a bigger and better basketball coaching jobs you will have the credentials to compete in your own right.

Getting a basketball drill wrong is not difficult, but what can be challenging for a coach is recognising there is an issue and making a change (Photo Source: Chris Yunker)

Every coach uses Basketball Drills. Drills form part of the process by which technical and tactical skills are taught and reviewed. Basketball Drills help a coach to break up complex learning outcomes into smaller chucks that can be isolated and focused upon more succinctly. So a player’s development can be consistent and holistic. No coach has all the answers and drills help a coach to understand the progression from one point to the next when the obvious thread connecting all points of a skills development are not obvious.

Incorrect Application

The first and most obvious of all the issues is the constant and ongoing incorrect application of the direction provided by a coach about a drill. If a coach observes that following the teaching cycle and after a reasonable amount of time the drills instructions are still not being implemented, even following a reinforcement of these points has been undertaken by the coach. Then a clear issue must be acknowledge.

There is a difference however between the sometimes slow progression by players through a very skill challenging or tactically demanding basketball drill and the players not able to implement the activity at all to an effective level.

In these situations there might be a need for a coach to simply identify where the players development is at. Identify the gap between the player’s abilities and the current drill and then identify another drill to fill this gap until the players development is at such as stage that they can meet the demands of the original drill.

Players are Disinterested

Players are just the same as any person, if a basketball drill is highly controlled with only a limited amount of creativity while featuring high repetitions of these specific movements they will eventually switch onto autopilot. A coach must be vigilant of the player’s performance, their body language, and level of engagement in general to determine if there is an issue.

In these situations, a coach is best to try to refocus the players or team onto the task. Explain the importance of the drill, its relevance to the team and how it will help with a successful achievement of the overall goals. Alternatively, maybe the coach has just underestimated where the development of the group is at and it is time for a new basketball drill.

Good Drill, Unforeseen Outcome

Every coach that has been coaching for some time (and many coaches who have only been coaching for a short time) will experience the bewildering issue sometimes faced when a basketball drill carefully selected and thought about, does not achieve the desired outcome. There are millions of basketball drills across the internet that are fantastic and worth the time needed to read and explore them. However, one of the great points in a coach’s development will be when they can see gaps within drills that are needed for the specific development of their team and its individuals.

In these situations a coach should be very active in changing, varying or revising the basketball drill on the run so that it does not have to be a waste of the time with respect to what is actually needing to be achieved.

Another option is to think about the other drills within the training sessions and consider if the required skill or tactic can be woven into their implementation to achieve the right outcome.

Players No Longer Make Mistakes

When players become exposed to a basketball drill for long enough they will eventually adapt to many of the common situations experienced routinely. While this can be viewed as a positive because the basketball drill has fulfilled its purpose, the down side is players will then be able to manipulate the play of the drill to become artificially efficient and effective. This will result in a reduced number of mistakes being made by the players and in some instances, this will even result in the more talented players within the team not having to work as hard as wanted to achieved a successful outcome.

A coach must monitor each basketball drill individually with each training session to evaluate where the team and its individuals lie in regards to mastering what drill has to offer. The fix for this situation might be as significant as progressing to the next drill in the development cycle for that particular skill or tactic. Otherwise implementing variations to the drill might also be a quick and easy option.

Mistakes will happen by players and by coaches within every training session. The important difference is that a coach must be reviewing every basketball drill all the time and making variations constantly so players stay fresh and committed to performing at their best.

Play Calling is the action of instructing what the next play will be on offense. It is one of the single toughest responsibilities to master and one of the hardest for a coach to be able to relinquish to their Point Guard (or any player). In fact, there are some coaches who will never pass the responsibilities of play calling to a player on their team. Always preferring to make the call from the sidelines on what is desired from the players on the floor.

For junior players often understanding how an offense works is a very challenging exercise. For players new to game, or player new to a coach and their system, understanding what the expectations are is sometimes near impossible. Just like when a person enters employment with a new company the organisations culture, roles and responsibilities are foreign and time is need to fully come to terms with these expectations. However, there are some strategies that help expedite this process and provide a pathway to the delegation of play calling, and other actions that only serve to block this power being shared.

The first strategy on the path to building the competence within a player(s) for play calling is to be a teacher as much as a coach. Teaching and coaching are separate things. They have very strong similarities, but they also have quite specific differences. One important aspect for coaches to take away from teaching is to always be looking to educate your students about the game of basketball. With regards to the tactics of the game which form the knowledge upon which play calling is based players must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the plays within the playbook. Which play is to be called when we want a quick score? Which play do we want to run against interior defenders who are switching screens? Which play do we want to run if facing a Pack Line Defence? By answering these questions for your players and then revisiting the topics, you will start to give the knowledge to the players upon which to make decisions.

Chris Paul one of the best Point Guard’s in the NBA would still make mistakes every training session as he adapts and overcomes challenging situations when play calling (Source: elfidomx)

The next step is to allow your players to make mistakes when play calling. Putting a player into a game (intense or otherwise) and expecting them to be able to make the right read about which play to run is not going to benefit the player, team or the coach. Allow the player(s) to start becoming familiar with thinking on the run and play calling at training. Take some time after each drill in which the player has exercised the responsibility of play calling to speak with them and probe why they made a certain call. Quiz the player and provide constructive feedback. Phrase the comments like “have you thought about this?” or “What play allows Player X to get the ball?”

Have the player then share the responsibility of play calling in a game with the coach during games. This might only be for a specific period of time initially, but can be grown into a majority of the time on the floor as the players offensive awareness increases. Just remember even the best players (and coaches) in the world get it wrong sometimes and try to focus on the development of the individual rather than the momentary outcome.

The next step is to apply a philosophy of continuous improvement to the play caller’s development. There are four steps that should make-up this cycle of improvement:

Introduce

Consolidate

Evaluate

Extend

A player involved in play calling is only as good at the experiences they have endured. Some lessons will be harder than others, and some lessons need to be lived through more than once before they become part of the players decision making process. However, one thing which will stunt this growth is not challenging the individual to become better by exposing them to new and constantly evolving situations. This is facilitated by a coach introducing a new situation or scenario. Allowing the team (and especially the player involved in play calling) enough time to consolidate and understand how to achieve a positive outcome. Then evaluating the performance with the player to refine the fine details before challenging the play caller with new variations of the situations that will extend the players decision making further.

If performed properly in a well-timed and methodical way by a coach a player can develop the awareness on the floor to alter plays to achieve the best results. A player will be able to change a cut, or the position of a screen to gain an advantage against the opposition’s strategy. When this happens it is spectacular, and transpires on the floor in real time, and makes a team that much harder to play against.

In basketball and in most sports play calling is tied very closely to power and leadership. It is one of the most significant responsibilities a player can have, but a coach must be active in supporting this development for it is a very big burden to tolerate when things are not going well.